The community of Glen Jean West Virginia was founded in the 1870’s and from the late 1880’s till the Great Depression, it prospered as a “boom town” because of coal mining in the region. In 1909 William McKell, one of the prominent West Virginia “Coal Barons”, built the Bank of Glen Jean. It was constructed out of stone quarried in the Glen Jean area with hand cut stone for the foundation. The external walls were 28 inches thick with floors and roof constructed of steel. Wood was used for the floors and roof in the addition added in 1917. McKell was president of the bank until he closed it in 1939 due to his failing health. At the time of closing, he paid all the depositors from his personal assets. The Bank of Glen Jean is known for being the most prominent work of architecture in Fayette County West Virginia. It now serves as the Visitors Center and Park Office for the New River Gorge National River and is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. |
